Force Trooper
Contrary to the name, Oremin’s Force Troopers do not use the Force, they are instead highly trained soldiers that specialize in combating Force-users. Despite officially being formed by Reng Kasr in 10 ABY, the Force Troopers have, in a sense, been around since Kasr’s days hunting down the remaining Jedi during the Great Jedi Purge. Their formation merely legitimized the trooper’s duties. It is suspected that the reason the Force Troopers were not an official designation during Kasr’s service with the Empire was because Palpatine didn’t want to endorse any military unit that could pose a specific threat to him. After Oremin developed the Type IV Dark Trooper, it was thought that the Force Troopers might be phased out in favor of the droid. The unit remains, however, due to the greater cost required to create the Type IV and Kasr's inclination to trust a living mind over that of a droid's. =Training= The Force Troopers are the most skilled and talented troops in Oremin, analogous in some ways to the Imperial Royal Guards. Their ranks are filled from the best-of-the-best that Oremin has to offer and even then, the exacting standards required to make the cut eliminates at least half of the candidates. Before any training is begun, all candidates are screened for Force-sensitivity. If someone is found to have the trait, they are immediately removed from the program. In addition to being taught a variety of ways to combat Forcers, including a full mastery of Rask and Skra, Force Troopers are required to have in-depth knowledge about all matters concerning the major Force-using groups across the galaxy, including, but not limited to: doctrine, beliefs, training methods, equipment, influence, and commonly used powers. Information about the Jedi Order and the various incarnations of the Sith top the list. Supplementary knowledge about the various things found in the galaxy that can be used against, or have an affect on, Forcers is required, as well as a familiarity about the most powerful users. Finally, an unshakable belief in the inherent threat all Forcers carry, and an unwavering loyalty to Oremin, must be firmly established before a candidate can achieve the status of Force Trooper. =Helmet= The helmet of a Force Trooper isn’t all too dissimilar to a regular Stormtrooper helmet. It uses the same four-layer construction method of its counterpart. The outer later is constructed out of plasrik to protect the trooper’s head. The next layer in is an anti-laser mesh to provide further protection from energy weapons. After that is a layer of magnetic shielding to protect the helmet’s electronics from being compromised. Finally an insulating layer, similar to the body glove, keeps the trooper protected from temperature extremes. The technology inside of the helmet is impressive though little changed from the Stormtrooper equivalent. They feature advanced visual targeting programs that work in conjunction with vision processors to give the trooper an array of options to cycle through. These are helpful in allowing them to see in less than ideal conditions, such as fog, smoke, fire, darkness, bright light, and many others. Built in recorders in the helmet observe everything a trooper sees as well as providing a 180 degree view of the area. A 360 degree mode can be accessed, but is usually kept off because it can be too disorienting. Although the helmet has enough storage capacity to record an entire 24 hours worth of footage, standard operating procedure for Oremin is to continually transmit the feed on a heavily encrypted rotating frequency to monitoring stations for up to the second intel on the activities and statuses of its Force Troopers. Embedded data on all the visual modes allows Oremin technicians to process the footage they receive into one of the visual modes, even if the trooper wasn’t using it at the time. A sophisticated communications system allows the troopers to keep in contact with their superiors and their fellow troopers through a secure line. Much like the line to the monitoring stations, this transmission is heavily encrypted and changes frequencies every few seconds. The helmet’s systems automatically synchronize their frequencies with those of their unit. A filtration system based on the simpler version in the Stormtrooper helmet protects Force Troopers from all but the most persistent of airborne contagions and contaminants. The helmet differs most from typical Stormtrooper headgear in that it is locked into place to a micro-hydraulic servo around the neck to make the armor a true self-contained environment. This was implemented to prevent a trooper’s helmet from being removed, or twisted, with the Force. In more practical terms, it also serves to protect a trooper from having his neck snapped while in combat. This is accomplished by internal sensors that respond to the trooper’s movements. These are then synched up with the servo, which won’t allow the head/helmet to be influenced by any external forces put upon it. =Armor= Force Trooper armor is similar in many respects to typical Stormtrooper armor, but is vastly improved over its forbearer since Force Troopers are explicitly expected to take on the most powerful and dangerous people in the galaxy. These improvements don’t come cheap; every set of Force Trooper armor costs at least four times as much to produce as standard Stormtrooper armor. Visually distinguished from regular Stormtrooper armor in several ways, Force Trooper armor is most notably differentiated by the fact that Force Troopers wear a white body glove instead of a black one. The reasons for this are not merely cosmetic as Force Trooper armor is much more heavily integrated than Stormtrooper armor; the white body glove contains imbedded circuitry in addition to its primary function of insulating the trooper against a variety of environments. The decision to change the color to white was a simple way to keep the wrong body gloves from going to the different sets of armor - which are very similar in appearance. Durability Like Stormtrooper armor, Force Trooper armor offers superior protection from slugthrowers (as well as other solid projectiles like spears or arrows), explosions, and shrapnel. The armor has been taken a step further though when it comes to energy weapons. To give Force Troopers protection against the most famous and deadly of Forcer-user weapons, the lightsaber, the standard plastoid armor has been integrated with phrik, a known lightsaber resistant material, to create a very durable composite dubbed plasrik. Although lightsabers can still cut through plasrik given enough persistence, it takes a few strikes to the same area to penetrate it, vastly improving the trooper’s survivability in a battle. This protection against lightsabers is directly transferable to blaster strikes. Force Trooper armor can soak up a number of shots from all but the most powerful blaster weapons. It is completely immune to stun blasts and low-powered blasters. Integration Force Trooper armor is much more heavily integrated than a lot of armors, which is most noticeable through its security precautions. The circuitry that runs through the body glove corresponds to key parts of the armor, such as the breastplate, torso, and gloves. The electronics located in these pieces will not function unless synched up with the circuitry of the body glove. Likewise, the helmet will be nearly completely dead (useful only to look through the polarized lenses) unless it is locked into place with the neck servo. Aside from keeping thieves from using Oremin technology for their own purposes, this integration serves another purpose of ensuring that power is evenly distributed when the armor is complete. A dead area can tell the trooper that there might be a malfunction with the equipment or that the armor hasn’t been fully sealed. In this way, no Force Trooper ever goes into battle at less than 100 percent efficiency. Another security precaution helps Oremin to recover its property should someone ever successfully make off with a full set of Force Trooper armor. Even when the armor is assembled successfully, an activation code is needed to activate the systems. Likewise, troopers are required to use a deactivation code before removing their armor. If the armor is removed without this deactivation code, an alarm will sound out of the helmet and chest plate. A tracking signal will also be sent to an Oremin receiver from both of these pieces. Each set of armor has its own codes and are not compatible with different sets, so if two different sets are mixed together, neither will work. However, every set of armor has the same unified general deactivation code that can be used in emergencies, such as when a combat medic might need to remove armor and not have to worry about setting off an alarm. This code only shuts off the alarm, the tracking signal will still be sent. Moreover, the unified deactivation code can be overridden by the suit’s activation code to keep some clever slicer from shutting down the systems of an entire unit. If the activation code is used to override the general deactivation code, the general deactivation code will be disabled on that particular suit until reset back at the command center. Another unique feature of integration is featured in the suit’s gloves. Certain weapons will not activate, such as the Force Trooper’s lightsaber, if not linked with the circuitry in the gloves. The gloves themselves will not work if they are apart from the rest of the suit. Since Force Troopers number in the hundreds at the most, and few have short careers, Oremin is able to go to such elaborate lengths with the armor. Such a thing would not be possible for the constantly mass-produced Stormtrooper armor as it would quickly become cost prohibitive. As Oremin views it: Force Troopers have an elite suit of armor fitting for such an elite unit. =Weapons= Few weapons are standard equipment for Force Troopers. This is by design for a few reasons. For one, it prevents an enemy from mounting a defense that can easily counter one type of payload. Odds are that another Force Trooper will be carrying something to get around such a defense. Also, many standard weapons are unfit to take down a fully-trained Force-user. Every weapon a Force Trooper has regular access to features something to give the troopers an edge against Force-users over regular soldiers. Melee *'Phrik-Blade Vibroknife' Every trooper is required to carry a phrik-blade vibroknife as a last resort weapon. The blades are made specifically out of phrik to give them the ability to stop lightsabers. Some troopers carry more than one of these blades. *'Electrostaff' Most notably used by the IG-100 MagnaGuards during the Clone Wars to combat Jedi, this proven weapon has found a place with some Force Troopers. It's not a common weapon to see due to its size, but those who do carry one are quite skilled in its use. *'Lightsaber' Although they are admittedly inferior when compared to the lightsabers crafted by many Force-using groups, Force Trooper lightsabers are no less dangerous. Their blade is not as potent as other lightsabers, so they won't cut through most materials as easily as normal lightsabers, but they will still cut. As such, all Force Troopers are required to carry them. Their main purpose is to block other lightsabers and then be used for attack if necessary. However, not every Force Trooper necessarily follows the recommended use for the lightsaber. A few will train diligently with the weapon to master swordfighting techniques in order to better defend themselves, or challenge a Force-user. Within the sphere of ysalamiri, they are placed on even ground. All Force Trooper lightsabers are specially built so that they will only activate when gripped by someone wearing a functioning pair of gloves from Force Trooper armor (which themselves will only work with a proper set of armor). Any attempt to activate the lightsaber without the gloves will send a feedback surge that will melt the synthetic crystal used to create the blade. All Force Trooper lightsabers have a white blade to show neutralness and keep them from being affiliated with any Force-using group. Projectile Pistols *'SIL-50 "Sleep Inducer"' The SIL-50 is a sonic option that has proven to be quite effective against Force-users. Although a fully-trained Force-user can resist the effects of the SIL-50, most usually don’t realize what the SIL-50 does until it’s too late. It has become an excellent option for non-lethal takedowns since opponents expecting another projectile weapon are often taken off-guard by the SIL-50’s effects. There is also the added benefit that the helmet of the Force Trooper effectively cancels out the SIL-50. *'Verpine Shatter Gun' Shatter guns would be another standard weapon if not for their fragility. However, their magnetic coil projectiles are difficult to block with a lightsaber, and so they have a place with some troopers. *'FWG-5 Flechette Pistol' The FWG-5 flechette pistol is yet another weapon that is nearly impossible to block with a lightsaber. What’s more, the FWG-5’s laser tracking system helps to ensure that the flechettes will find even the most wily of targets. *'Sd-77 Sonic Pistol' Many Force Troopers favor the Sd-77 sonic pistol since it doesn’t fire something that can even remotely be blocked by a lightsaber. The wide range effect of the blasts also comes in handy for Force-users who are able to dodge more conventional weapons. *'Dissuader KD-30' The KD-30 is the most common back-up weapon for Force Troopers. It has few shots, but the acid-filled hollow points can be a nasty surprise to any Force-user who attempts to block them. They are also quite capable of piercing most kinds of armor. Rifles *'Explosive Blaster Pistol' Explosive Blaster Rifles are considered standard weapons for Force Troopers. Due to the ability of the bolts to explode on contact, they are ideal since they can’t be deflected back by a lightsaber. The rifles consume a lot of energy and so don’t carry many shots per power pack, but the trade-off is considered worthwhile – especially since Force Troopers tend to be very accurate with their weapons. *'BlasTech DLT-20A Blaster Rifle' Perhaps the most conventional weapon commonly utilized by Force Troopers, BlasTech’s DLT-20A is favored by Force Troopers for its power, range, and magnatomic adhesion grip. Thanks to the grip, the often vexing problem of having weapons yanked out of a trooper’s hand by the Force is a non-issue. Other *'Stokhli Spray Stick' Another option for non-lethal takedowns, the Stokhli spray stick is an effective means to subdue most Force-users. Like almost every weapon that Force Troopers use, the spraymist the Stokhli uses is near impossible to block with a lightsaber. Heavy Ordinance *'ABC Scrambler' Rarely used, but quite potent when deployed, Force Troopers have been known to use ABC scramblers to take out groups of Force-users, or sometimes just one particularly difficult one. The wide area effect of the weapon, both in terms of radius and forms of attack, means that few Force-users can withstand the assault. The armor of the Force Trooper handily protects them from the weapon, allowing them to enter the area affected without hesitation. *'FC-1 Flechette Launcher' The FC-1 is a part of the Force Trooper arsenal thanks to its ability to take down well protected targets. As with all flechette launchers, it can be a difficult weapon for Force-users to counter. =Equipment= Force Troopers carry most of the same equipment as Stormtroopers, albeit modified to fit their primary mission profile. Utility Belt *Four Spare Power Packs *High-Tension Wire *Two Grappling Hooks *Three Ion Flares *Spare Comlink *Two Medpacks *Two Blast Energy Sinks *Combat De-Ionizer *Four Anesthesia Injectors Other *'Ysalamiri Nutrient Frame' All Force Troopers are taught how to handle ysalamiri due to the creature’s invaluable ability to rob Force-users of control over the Force. The troopers are also physically conditioned to be able to support the nutrient frame (and creature) on their backs for long stretches of time as well as how to move and perform combat maneuvers with the frame. *'Ultrachrome Riot Shield' Perhaps the second-most distinctive piece of equipment associated with Force Troopers, the nutrient frames being the first, are their ultrachrome riot shields. The shields can easily withstand lightsabers and will reflect blasters and most other types of projectiles off of their surface. To give the troopers an even greater advantage, two micro-cameras, one located on either edge of the shield, feed video data to the troopers’ helmets. This allows troopers to crouch behind their shields, and see who is firing at them at the same time. Category:OreminCategory:Halomek